This invention relates to an improved water resistant, tamper-resistant protective cover for cable television distribution taps.
The use of cables to transmit television signals has greatly increased. The cables carrying the main signals are dispersed throughout a neighborhood, generally by hanging the cables along already established utility lines. Then at various points, distribution taps are positioned to service the individual residences. Each distribution tap is designed to service one or more than one residence. Generally, the distribution taps are supported by support cables, and each distribution tap contains one to eight ports for residences in the immediate area.
Once service is initially requested, a lead wire or local cable is run from one port in the distribution tap to the individual residence. If the customer later decides to discontinue cable service, the lead wire is merely disconnected by the cable company at the tap. The lead wire is not completely removed, in the event the customer decides to have the service reconnected at a later time. A locking device can be screwed on the port to prevent the customer from reconnecting the service himself.
Additionally, various cable networks carry electronically scrambled signals for various special channels that are available at an extra price. When a scrambled channel is desired, a descrambler is attached to the customer's port in the tap, and the lead wire is in turn attached to the descrambler.
All too often, after the cable service has been disconnected at the customer's request, the customer or a new customer reconnects the lead wire to the tap without authorization. This is possible because the lead wire is not taken down, but is left near the tap to avoid expense if reconnected. Further, many electronic descramblers (decoders) have been taken, usually by simply breaking them off the tap, which in turn breaks the port connector on the tap. This results in major repair expense and lost revenues from potential subscribers who steal or purchase the stolen decoders. Consequently, it is desirable to have a protective, tamper-proof covering to prevent any unauthorized access or damage to the distribution tap.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a protective covering for a cable television distribution tap that reduces or eliminates any theft of cable service or signal decoders. A further object is to provide a cover that protects the tap against deterioration resulting from salt spray, acid rain and precipitation. This reduces maintenance cost and repair time.
It is a further object of this invention to devise a tamper-proof covering which eliminates the need for locking protectors, such as locking terminator for taps and shields for decoders, to prevent unauthorized use of the taps and decoders. Another object of the inventions is to provide a tamper-proof tap cover that eliminates the need for locking terminators and decoder shields as well as the special tools to install and remove these devices.